House adopts amendment to centralize water-safety information for school enrollment

The Arizona House advanced an amended bill to centralize water-safety information on the Department of Education website so parents can access guidance and resources at student enrollment.

Representative Gress told members that the change standardizes how water-safety resources are provided. "This standardizes the process," he said when explaining the education committee amendment, calling the proposal a way to give parents timely information about swimming lessons and water-safety tips. On the floor Representative Gress cited state drowning data and said, "50 percent of adult Americans cannot swim," and described higher pool ownership in Phoenix and increases in drowning deaths in Maricopa and Pinal counties in 2024.

Representative Gutierrez, while supporting the goal of increased water safety, questioned whether public schools were the appropriate channel. "While I absolutely support Mister Gress in wanting kids to be more water safe, I just think our public schools is the wrong place to do this," she said, and suggested pediatric offices as an alternative avenue for reaching the youngest children.

The education committee amendment that shifts centralized posting to the Department of Education was adopted by the committee and later received a "do pass" recommendation from the Committee of the Whole. The clerk reported the bill as "do pass as amended" and the measure was referred to engrossing.

The transcript includes committee-level debate and floor discussion; it does not record a final roll-call on final passage to become law in this excerpt.